2011 was full of great releases making this top 5 very difficult to pick. While some may think some of these caps are overly simple, its the combination of simplicity and style that make these fitted caps some of my favorites from the past year.
1. BENNY GOLD x NEW ERA「Doughboy 16」59Fifty Fitted Caps
After facing legal issues for their logo baring resemblance to minor league baseball team, Benny Gold was forced to redesign his signature Doughboy design. However, Gold showed his creativity by incorporating 16 in to the emblem, the location of his San Francisco store.
2. LUIS RUANO x NEW ERA「Battle of the Bay Charity Project」59Fifty Fitted Cap
The Battle of the Bay Charity Project included some of the Bay Area’s most well known brands and with raffle proceeds going to a great cause. Among the raffled items was this Battle of the Bay fitted cap designed by Luis Ruano. The concept behind the fitted cap is 1989 World Series that featured the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants, which explains the split design.
3. MAJOR x NEW ERA「Major Knows」59Fifty Fitted Baseball Cap
Nike’s classic “BO KNOWS” design has been used numerous times by various companies, but there is something about the way Major took the classic saying for their Major Knows fitted. The color combination of Black, Teal and White paired with large block letters really came together nicely.
4. HUF x NEW ERA「Classic H」59Fifty Fitted Baseball Caps
HUF has always been one of my favorite brands because of their simplicity. Over the years they have experimented with different patterns, materials and styles. However, this Classic H New Era stands among my top HUF fitteds. The combination of Navy, White and Red is a clean and simple cap that is easy to match with and looks great.
5. LEADERS 1354 x NEW ERA「RBG」59Fifty Fitted Cap
When you think of premiere streetwear retailers in Chicago, it is hard not to mention Leaders. Since 2002, they have been holding it down in the Windy City and have created quite the fitted collection. Their RBG uses a colorscheme of Black, Green and Red. This “Gucci” like color scheme uses subtle color blocking and accents.
